Crucio
by tangents
Summary: Hogwarts is no stranger to murder; nobody expects it to come from Harry Potter's son.
1. Every Beginning Starts With an End

_PART ONE: ISLA_

 **EVERY BEGINNING STARTS WITH AN END**

Murder hadn't been on Isla's agenda, but at the moment, she was seriously considering it. Penelope was prattling on and on about Merlin knew what, and Isla was barely resisting the urge to pick up her wand and cast a quick _Avada Kedavra_. It would have been worth it, just to make her stop talking.

Fidgeting with the tablecloth, the dark-haired girl cast a hopeful gaze around the room. Along with Penelope Amalia Burke, pureblood galas were one of the banes of Isla Nott's existence. Maybe Scorpius was close by. Then she could rummage up some excuse and escape off to do something slightly worthwhile.

"And then the prissy salesgirl told me they were _out of stock_ \- like what the hell, did she not know who I was?" Penelope was still ranting. Absentmindedly, Isla nodded along. While she couldn't stand her in the slightest, her next best option was currently Francine Parkinson, who was a _nose picker_.

Then again, not many people were willing to deal with the Nott's disgrace anyways.

A streak of blonde caught the edges of Isla's vision, and hastily, she stood up. "Sorry Penelope, but Scorpius is over there, and it looks like he needs me. I'd love to chat some other time, though." Taken aback slightly by Isla's rudeness - it was something her mother would never stop chastising her about - Penelope managed to bluster a few goodbyes. It was simply too bad that Isla didn't manage to hear any, having already headed away.

"Scorp, you left me with _Burke_ ," Isla whined, falling into step with the blonde haired boy. Scorpius Malfoy was one of the only purebloods that Isla found had some sort of interesting facet to their personality. Everyone else was either one of two ideologies: the shallow aristocrat, or the murderous villain. The pair had made a pact years ago to stick together at these sorts of functions. There was no one better to associate with.

Scorpius grinned. "I wish I could say that I'm sorry, but really, I'm not." He was interrupted by a shove to his side. "What did she bore you with this time?"

Isla wrinkled her nose. "How she bought a dress for this ball - they were out of stock, can you _believe it?"_ Sarcasm filtered through her words, earning a smile from Scorpius.

"More interesting than Francine - that girl could have a conversation with a _wall_ , I'm telling you, it's like I wasn't even there." Scorpius elegantly maneuvered his way through a couple that seemed to be glaring at them, or more specifically, their conversation.

At that comment, Isla rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Oh be quiet, you Gryffindor Nott."

This elicited a gasp from the pair they had just passed. It was typical of most purebloods, even though the lot of them had heard already - it _had_ been six years since it happened, after all. Anyone who hadn't known by then was on the fringes of society. So, useless anyways. Biting her lip, Isla glared daggers in Scorpius's direction. "Says the person who's best friends with a Potter."

Another wheeze.

"Do you want a drink? You seem to be wheezing a lot." Scorpius turned around to face the couple, who immediately pretended to be immersed in conversation. Isla bit back a smile - a bunch of nosy old bats, the whole lot of them were.

" _Scorpius!_ _"_ she had to reprimand. "Don't be rude!" She didn't bother apologizing for him - he was much better at the whole false politeness thing, really. Isla was more of the 'don't do it in the first place' type, a much easier way of dealing with the situations, if you asked her.

He arched an eyebrow. "Come off it, Isla - you know the only people here are your family, my family, the Burkes, and Parkinsons. And we only invited the Parkinsons and Burkes because without them, this gathering would have just been sad."

"Your point is…"

"That it's probably grandma Parkinson or something acting like she's about to die. And who really cares about her, anyways?" Another smack. "Hey!"

"She can _hear you!_ " Isla hissed. Turning around, she smiled apologetically. "I'm so sorry for him - he's had a little too much champagne, if you know what I mean." The lady's hiss drew Isla aback, and with raised eyebrows, she faced Scorpius again. " _Hag_."

"Damn straight," he muttered.

"So Scorp," Isla began, straightening to her full height (of five foot, but at least she wasn't being completely dwarfed, Scorpius was short too). "I suppose I should take you to your room now, you can't get even _more_ plastered."

A smile curved on Scorpius's lips. "Pillow fight!" he squealed, with only a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Who has pillow fights anymore?"

"I do," Scorpius replied, fluffing up his hair.

"Drama queen," Isla rolled her eyes at him, and grabbing his arm, dragged him out of the ballroom. She had no idea why the Malfoys had chosen to hold a small gathering in the _ballroom_ , but it was their choice - she wasn't going to protest.

The couple was _still_ watching them - didn't they have anything better to do?

Stumbling out of the ballroom, Isla's stature changed instantly. "Thank _Merlin_ ," she sighed, pulling off her three inch heels. "These shoes are _killing_ me."

"It didn't do anything, anyways - you're still ridiculously short." Scorpius looked her up and down.

"Shut up, Malfoy. Let's go upstairs before my parents see me out here." While Theodore didn't care much about these sorts of things - he spent most of his time socializing with Draco, although he was more of a loner really - Cora dwelled in high society gatherings. If she had actually been able to have any sort of real spawn, they would have been born in a pair of high heels. Unfortunately, Isla didn't match the description.

"What'll they see? Just a pair of innocent cousins up to doing innocent things."

For about the millionth time, Isla rolled her eyes. "Come _on_ \- let's go to your room. Hopefully our mums are bitching about Daphne again." For a trio of sisters, Astoria and Cora both certainly seemed to hate the third, most likely because Daphne was the most likely to perpetuate purist beliefs and shallow ideals.

( It was no wonder Francine had turned out like she had, having mothers like Daphne and Pansy Parkinson. )

"Alright, alright." Scorpius led the way to his room, Isla following in close suit. It wasn't as if she hadn't been there before, but she possessed common courtesy, unlike her dear cousin. Honestly, if his mother knew the things he got up to at Hogwarts, she'd lock Scorpius in his room until he was thirty.

Once Isla had plopped onto Scorpius's bed, leaving him to splay himself on the ground, she huffed, head in her hands. "What are we going to do?"

A wicked grin slid onto Scorpius's face. "We could leave."

Isla mirrored his expression. "Why yes we could - where to?"

Scorpius assumed an impression of thinking - one could never really be sure if anything was going on inside his head - and raised his finger. "We could go to -" Isla opened her mouth to protest. "Come on! We went to Zabini's last time, you know how much she hates me, but I did it for _you_."

"Elisabeth was there too, and besides, Adelaide doesn't hate you as much as Weasley hates me." Isla Nott was practically one of the banes of Rose Weasley's existence - she took every opportunity to shoot jibes and insults at her. Isla liked to assume it was because she gave Rose a run for her money in the academic department, but really, it was most likely because Isla was a bitch. And so was Rose.

Scorpius frowned. "Fawley barely even counts, plus Rose probably won't even be there - she's not always at the Potter's. And Rose doesn't hate you, you're part of her friend group."

"Oh come _on_ , Scorp," Isla scoffed, "How often am I at your house?" She didn't give him the chance to answer. "A _lot_. Don't you think Rose will be at her cousins' house frequently too?"

He didn't have an answer for that, just puppy dog eyes.

Sadly for him, Isla was immune. "No"

Scorpius sighed, but stood up, offering Isla his arm. "Let's go to Renaissance Park then!" Isla eyed his hand with distaste. "Stop looking at my arm like that, Miss Failed-her-apparition-test."

"Oh, shut up, Scor-piss-ass."

"It would be my pleasure, Is-la."

With Isla sticking out her tongue at Scorpius, the two of them apparated away from Malfoy Manor.

"Of _course_."

The moment the two of them had apparated into the park, Scorpius had snatched his hand away from hers, running straight into the arms of a one Albus Potter. Isla stood back, watching the two greet the other- even though they had seen each other, what, a week ago - while holding back a snicker of her own. Albus and Scorpius had to be two of the closest friends that Isla had ever known, second to maybe Elisabeth and Adelaide.

The uncomfortable feeling twisting in her stomach was awfully similar to how she sometimes felt around her friends. But there were a few crucial differences between her cousin and her friends.

"Of course what?" Scorpius twisted around to face Isla, signalling for her to come closer. "Albus just _happened_ to be here."

Isla's scoff was practically second nature by now. "You know Scorp, it's a good thing you're such a charmer or no one would believe your lies."

Albus decided to take the opportunity to speak. "Can I ask why you're third wheeling here today, or would that be rude?" An eyebrow was arched in response. Meanwhile, Scorpius's expression was demonstrating his doubt about the amount of brain cells his best friend possessed.

"You're the third wheeler today, _actually_." Once in a blue moon, Scorpius Malfoy said something intelligent. It was a good thing that Isla and Albus were on good enough terms - they weren't friends, per say, but they _had_ to be acquaintances or Scorpius would have thrown a fit - or the situation they were in would have been much more awkward.

"I guess I should go sit in the corner and drink all the alcohol I brought alone, then." Albus let out a hefty sigh.

"You two can go off and get pissed," Isla said, beginning to walk away. "I'm going to go on the swingset over there."

Scorpius had never looked so torn. Glancing back and forth between Albus and Isla, he finally made a decision. "Why not both?" he questioned, beckoning to Albus. Of the two, Isla was the more stubborn by _kilometres_. And she was already at the swings, struggling to sit down properly. It was the dress - she knew she would rue the day she listened to Cora Greengrass-Nott.

Although Isla's gaze was directed at the sky, it was obvious when the two took seats next to her, the set letting out an audible groan. "If this whole thing comes crashing down, it's not my fault," Isla warned, beginning to swing. Hopefully the mud stains on her dress would come off, because if not, Isla Nott was a dead woman walking (or technically, swinging).

Albus smirked. "No, it's going to be the three drunken teenagers' fault."

"Make that two, actually," Isla corrected.

Snatching a bottle from Albus, Scorpius frowned. "Come on Isla, you never do _anything_ fun. Loosen up a bit." He held out the alcohol.

Isla swung harder.

"Guessing that's a no, then." Albus was watching her amusedly.

Scorpius shook his head. "Isla's a basket case. Ignore her."

Isla stopped swinging, grabbed a bottle, and resumed her actions.

"Aren't we all basket cases, though?" Albus' voice had amusement laced through it.

"Not as much as her. One time, in fifth year, she ran around the great hall in a clown costume, Isla, you're not six anymore, you're nine-"

"Seventeen?"

"Same thing. Don't be an idiot."

"Says you."

"I remember that time!" A late interjection by Albus. "But Scor, didn't you wear that-"

"Mate, you're supposed to be on _my_ side. You're my best friend, you know that out of the Greengrass spawn, I'm the best."

"Wear what? And you're the only real Greengrass spawn. And even Franky beats you by _far_ , Scor-piss-ass." Isla had given up on ignoring them, dress billowing behind her long swings.

"What?" Albus glanced back and forth between the two cousins, a slight hint of confusion evident in the way his thick eyebrows were furrowed.

"Come on, Al, keep up. We just started drinking. It's common knowledge." Both Theodore Nott and Cora Greengrass were sharp and angular, but the similarities ended there. Cora, with her ebony skin and halo of hair, was beautiful in ways Theodore was not - glowing, bright, vibrant. Isla's father, on the other hand, with his sharp eyes and lightly tanned skin, was full of darkness. Isla, on the other hand, was some percent Asian, and her pale skin indicated that she was most definitely _not_ born to the Notts.

Albus didn't bother answering.

"You know, I think the Cannons are going to win the Cup this year," Scorpius spoke after a few minutes in comfortable silence.

"You _wish_ \- the Tornadoes are going to kick their ass."

"You're just saying that because Molly is on the team."

"Are you kidding? I'm saying that despite Molly being on the team," Albus snorted, giving Scorpius an incredulous look. Isla didn't add her opinion to the conversation, but Molly was a much better quidditch player than the both of them. Then again, if anybody said otherwise, they would suffer Molly Weasley's wrath.

"Molly Weasley has weird ears."

There was a beat of silence. And then:

"A weird face too, quite honestly. Al, don't people always compare her to your uncle Percy?"

"No wonder people don't like the pair of you, you two are crazy."

Isla let out a mock-gasp at this. "Just because I'm willing to brave Molly Weasley's anger, I'm automatically cuckoo? You should be _glad_ , Albus Potter - it means that she won't beat _you_ up." She paused. "It wouldn't you any favors anyways, your nose is already crooked."

"If I hadn't just drank half a bottle of alcohol, I think I would have taken much more offense to that. And if I have a crooked nose, well - your eyebrows are all over the place."

"That's because I didn't get them done yet, you twit!"

"...Get them done?" Scorpius repeated the phrase as if it was Mermish.

"I'm not going to explain it to you, Scorp, you run away if I even mention that I have cramps. _Hah_ \- remember when I had the flu?"

"What if I asked Francine?" Scorpius had managed to twist his swing, and was currently spinning in rapid circles. Albus was staring in fascinated horror at the atrocity.

"Like she counts as a girl."

"True."

The silence that fell over them at this point lasted for much longer - Isla suspected it had something to do with her - until she managed to slip off her swing, tumbling in a heap on the ground. " _Ow_ \- bloody Merlin, this hurts!"

The two boys exchanged a look, and Scorpius heaved himself off the swing. "Up you go," he muttered, yanking Isla to her feet. Her ball gown was in tatters, and in the back corner of her mind this was dimly noted. Tomorrow, Cora was going to kill her. _Today_ \- the night was young.

It was for that very reason that, stumbling towards Albus, she said, "Do you have any more bottles?"

Surprisingly, he did.

A hiccup escaped the girl. "Are you some sort of alcoholic? I mean, how do you have so - so much?"

"A refilling potion, duh."

Isla's retort was lost in the night, along with Scorpius's response until it blurred together into a massive blur of laughter and adrenaline.

(And alcohol. Couldn't forget the alcohol.) 

The next morning dawned bright and early, Isla awakening with a scream coming from downstairs.

"What happened, Mum?" Isla yawned when she eventually made her way downstairs. Her mind was half lost in her throbbing headache, especially because it was Cora Greengrass-Nott who had yelled, the same woman who shrieked when she found out that her favorite dress was out of stock.

But her mother didn't respond, and only stood still. A red alert for someone who was constantly talking, constantly alive and energetic. Especially if Isla included the fact that she still hadn't been reprimanded for yesterday's ordeal. Her mother had definitely already seen her dress.

Isla walked over to Cora, snatching the newspaper from her hands - her knuckles had whitened - and read the headline.

 _NICOLA AVERY FOUND DEAD IN RENAISSANCE PARK_ , it read.

The paper fluttered to the ground.


	2. Hear Me Roar

For the people at Platform Nine and Three Quarters, September 1st, 2023 was a monumental day. On a normal occasion, the air would be full of tearful goodbyes and first years ready to piss themselves in excitement. Instead, most of the crowd was tearful and ready to piss themselves.

"You'll be safe?" Cora Nott gave her daughter a once over. It had been a week since Nicola's death, and the wizarding world was in high alert. Looking at Isla, it was hard to imagine such a girl murdering another, with her small nose and baby cheeks.

(But Cora knew Isla as if her blood ran in her veins - there was a reason she was in Gryffindor.)

Isla rolled her eyes. "Of course, Mum. Aren't I always?" She had already begun to extract herself from her mother, eyes darting through the crowd to find Adelaide. Cora could be considered overprotective, but ever since the night with Scorpius and Albus, she had become even more extreme.

Cora pursed her lips, but let Isla take her distance. "You can never be sure." The hidden meaning was evident in her words, and hurt flashed through Isla's expression.

"Yeah, whatever. See you at Christmas." Isla shoved her way through the crowd. Her father hadn't even bothered to show up - he claimed it was because of business, but since when was Theodore Nott likely to go out? He was reclusive - her mum had told her stories about him during school, and he was one of the few Slytherin boys of his year not to join Scorpius's dad's gang.

A sudden mass hurtled into Isla, swinging her in a circle. "Isla Nott!" Adelaide Zabini had found Isla first. "I found you first! Now let's find Elisa!"

Isla chuckled, although internally, she was fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "You better not choose a bad compartment this year, like Elisa did in fifth year." Both simultaneously wrinkled their noses at the memory. Elisabeth hadn't even spent much time in the compartment, having been a prefect. "Those Hufflepuffs were rude."

Linking her arm through Isla's, Adelaide began to pull her through the platform. "They were meaner than us, which is definitely saying something. Have you seen Elisa yet?"

The two began on their Elisabeth Fawley search - which had happened every year but fifth - chattering the whole time throughout. "You look so nice! Europe made you a stunner." Isla looked her friend up and down appreciatively. "How was Switzerland? Did you go skiing?"

Adelaide shook her head. "Are you kidding? Being athletic is your job, Miss Gryffindor Seeker." Strike one.

If there was one thing Isla could change in her Hogwarts career, it was being sorted into Gryffindor. She had a reputation of being the snake among lions - two of her best friends were Slytherins. Scorpius was a Slytherin. Her family were all Slytherins. Admittedly, Isla did look the slightest bit better in red than she did in green.

It was suddenly that Elisabeth Fawley came marching up to them. "Adelaide! Isla! Who won?" Ever since the compartment picking had been established, it had been treated with the utmost of importance. All three of them had decidedly different tastes - Elisabeth preferred the Hufflepuffs (they were the nicest), Adelaide the back of the train (the view was to die for, really), and Isla with the Gryffindors (quidditch).

"Me, thankfully." Adelaide tossed her hair back. "I really don't feel like sitting with lions." Isla bit her lip at the comment. It wasn't as if she could change her tie from red and gold. Strike two.

The three began to drag their things on the train, Elisabeth and Adelaide keeping up a steady flow of conversation. Isla remained quiet, focusing on hefting her luggage up the steps. For a boarding school, Hogwarts expected their students to pack much too lightly.

It was to none of their surprises when the train began to lurch the moment they were inside. All three of them were notorious for being late.

"Did you guys hear about Avery?" Elisabeth started as they headed down the train. Nearly everyone was in their compartments already, a few latecomers such as themselves scattering the aisle.

Adelaide nodded, eyebrows twisted seriousness. "Can you believe she's dead?" Nicola Avery had been larger than life at Hogwarts - Head Girl, Quidditch captain, all of the lot. And she had thrown smashing parties while holding the highest position of power, an incredible feat in itself.  
"It's so sudden," Elisabeth frowned. "It's so hard to believe."

"She was so nice, too," Adelaide added.

Isla cast back in her memories for a time that Nicola Avery had ever been nice to her. The two of them were Slytherins, who were loyal to their own. Isla wasn't. She was an outcast in pureblooded society, and Nicola had recognized that, preying on it. Nicola Avery hadn't been nice - she was a fake. Not many people had liked her, and Isla Nott could proudly say she wasn't one of them. "She really wasn't."

Elisabeth and Adelaide turned to look at her in shock. "How could you think that?" It wasn't outrage spilling from Adelaide's mouth, but curiosity.

"She...just wasn't?"

It wasn't much of a proper response, but for some reason or another, her friends chose to ignore it and move on. "Can you believe she was murdered so close to your house, Isla?" Isla shook her head. "Can't you see the park from there? Did you see her being-"

Strike three.

"I've got to go," Isla muttered, including some excuse about Quidditch, doing an abrupt about-face in the hallway. It seemed to take her two steps to reach Scorpius's compartment, slamming the door loudly behind her. Anger was coursing through her veins, pumping it straight to her heart, her brain -

This was why she was a Gryffindor.

Pointing to Adams, Isla's rage was evident. "Out."

"What?" Caleb Adams wasn't getting the memo.

Isla's fury wasn't calm by any means, nor were her words. "Get out of my sight." She was met with surprise, and a scramble to get up. "Potter, Malfoy - keep your asses on those seats." The pair sat back down.

When the compartment was deathly silent, Isla spoke. "Why have none of you done anything?"

Scorpius fidgeted uncomfortably. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that we were in Renaissance Park the night Avery died? Or how about the fact that we were drunk off our asses? Let's not forget that I don't remember what happened, and you two blibbering idiots are keepings your lips sealed?" The words waterfalled out of Isla's mouth, and with a dramatic huff, she fell onto the seat across from them.

Albus was smiling. "We didn't kill her."

Isla wasn't appeased. "Do you specifically remember not killing her?"

The tension layering the compartment was enough of an answer.

Isla's fury seemed to sink out of her. It was funny - the more vulnerability she showed, the more uncomfortable the two boys seemed to get. Had they realized that they were partially fueling the cycle - hell, they wouldn't have done anything. "Isla?" Scorpius ventured.

Clutching her knees to her chest, she answered with a question. "Do you guys not feel guilty?"

"Not really. Avery was a slag, anyways..."

Isla sprung up. "First of all - what kind of right do you have to say that? Who the hell cares how many people she's slept with? And if that's your excuse for murder, Potter, you're going to have a hell of a fun life in Azkaban!"

He held up his hands. "Sorry, alright! I won't say that again. And what do you want me to say? That I've been worrying about this ever since it happened? That I can't sleep at night? That I'm terrified that if this leaks out, all the headlines will say is 'Harry Potter's son is a murderer'. That it'll ruin everything. Is that what you want to hear, Nott?" It seemed that Isla's impulsiveness was leaking onto others, Scorpius included.

"I don't think we did it." Two pairs of eyes landed on the blonde boy. "We're not murderers." The air in the compartment had turned solemn, and Isla sank back into her seat.

"You know," she began. "I hated Nicola Avery, because she was a bitch." A bitter laugh rumbled in her throat at Scorpius and Albus's identical expressions. "Yeah, Nicola was mean - hard to imagine for Slytherins, right? Well, she put me through hell. Not bullying, mind you-" Isla added at Scorpius's sudden rigidness. "-it wasn't even taunts, she was just a lot ruder to us Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Especially me, the pureblood outcast.

"So, what if when I was drunk, I decided to kill her? It's the most likely out of the three of us that I did it."

There was a pause. Then:

"Like you could murder anyone."

Surprisingly, Isla managed to take it as a threat, almost springing up for the second time. "I'll let you know, Malfoy, I am five feet of fury." A threatening expression crossed her features - maybe on anybody else, it would have caused fright, but on Isla, the only reaction were bursts of laughter. "It's not funny! I can be very scary!" She gestured to her face for enhancement.

"No offense, Nott-"

"Call me Isla, it sounds like you're talking to my father," Isla interjected.

"No offense, Isla, but you're not very scary." Albus finished, a smirk curling on the edges of his mouth. Scorpius watched Isla intently, knowing what was about to happen next.

A slight smile slid on Isla's lips, but it wasn't a sweet one by any means. "Want to test your theory?"

Confusion was etched on Albus's features. "What?"

Isla bounced up from her seat. "I'm going to show both of you just how scary I can be." And maybe, she just wanted to put the whole murder behind her, if only for a couple of minutes. She was already exhausted; if they kept up the serious talk for a few minutes longer, she'd be screaming at the whole train.

With a burst of energy that none of the three could have known she possessed, the compartment door was sailing wide open. "Come on!" Isla's voice carried through the door.

The hallway was empty as it always was, except for Isla and a poor first year that happened to be caught in Isla's crosshairs. "What's your name?" It was hard for her to look down on someone - thankfully, this student fit the bill. With a wobbling chin and robes that seemed as if they had gone through a hurricane, the little boy was the perfect target to terrify beyond belief. If she had the slightest ounce of pity - well, maybe she wouldn't have murdered Nicola.

"D-Damien. Damien Boot," he managed to stutter.

Isla smiled the way she had previously, more frightening than when she actually was trying, due its sheer lack of compassion. "Well, Damien - do you know where you are?"

While the boy certainly was frightened, it didn't stop a certain tone of arrogance from seeping through his tone. "The Hogwarts Express, obviously."

Isla rolled her eyes. "Even a complete and utter duffer would know that, Damien. I mean, where in the Hogwarts Express are you?"

He looked around fearfully, as if searching for some sort of sign. "Um... a compartment area?"

Isla caught Scorpius nudging Albus from the corner of her vision, and whipped around to face him. "What are you doing?" she questioned, turning back to face Damien. "Now, Damien, that's not the right answer. You're actually-" she bent down to lean in closer. "-right where the Hogwarts Dragon lives. He's right past there." Isla waved her arm in a slightly frantic gesture, pointing to the door behind her.

"...The Hogwarts Dragon?" Damien was stupid enough to ask.

"Yes, the Hogwarts Dragon," Isla responded, leaning back in a twisted pride of sorts, fingers lacing together. "He eats first years for breakfast." The hiss caused Damien to jump what must have been at least six inches, and with a yelp, the boy began to run for the exit, stumbling over his trainers more than once. His exit was accompanied by Isla's cackles, and radio silence from the boys who had been watching the scene.

"So?" Isla's voice practically soared with excitement, and Albus had to hide a cringe.

"So?" Scorpius wasn't putting on a mask. "You terrified that first year. The Isla that I know wouldn't do that."

Isla's jaw clenched. "I'm a scary person. What's so bad about that?"

Scorpius's forehead was creased. "You're not. And ever since Nicola - who I'm sure you didn't murder - you've been acting like some sort of idiotic preteen. Now get back in that compartment, put a smile on your face, and play a game of Exploding Snap with Al and me."

"Al and I," Albus had to interject, Isla's sharp glare switching to him.

"Same thing." Isla Nott was not scary. Scorpius Malfoy was.

Isla trailed into the compartment, Albus following suit two steps behind her. More often than not, the expression on Isla's face was a mocking grin. Instead of interjecting a sarcastic remark, which had become typical of her the past few days, Isla instead crossed her arms in front of her chest, eyes alighting on Scorpius in a ridiculing manner. It was too bad stubbornness wasn't a Nott trait, but a Greengrass one, for his gaze met hers, unwavering.

"The silence is deafening," Albus remarked after a few minutes of intense staring. He alone seemed the most comfortable in the compartment, another oxymoron himself.

Isla narrowed her eyes. "Shut up," she said, eyes never flickering away from Scorpius.

And he did. Until the quiet got to Albus again. "You guys don't have cousin telepathy, so whatever you're doing, you can stop."

"Mate, can you just stop-" Scorpius tore his eyes away from Isla to shoot an irritated glance at Albus, to which Isla let out a triumphant cry, and Scorpius a groan. "Look what you've done - Isla won. How am I supposed to prove I'm the better cousin now?"

Albus snorted. "You're talking to the wrong guy. I have nine cousins, remember?" Isla resisted the urge to laugh.

"I should go back to my friends," the girl began to lift herself off the seat, but Scorpius held out his hand.

A sharp laugh bubbled in Scorpius's throat. "Adelaide and Elisabeth? You know they won't care - we've talked about this, Isla." Apparently Scorpius was in the talking mood, now that they had gotten the ball rolling.

She was seventeen. No one made new friends now.

When she didn't respond, Scorpius rolled his eyes. "They're not good friends, Isla. They aren't. You can - you can just-"

"Just what, Scorpius?" Suddenly, Isla was acutely aware of the fact that Albus was in the room. "Save it for later, where we can talk in private."

Albus seemed to finally realize that he was in a compartment with two cousins. "Nah, it's alright. I've got to go make sure that Fawcett hasn't found Lily anyways, I'll murder him." And with that - although Isla had no clue of what was going on in his mind - he exited the compartment.

"Isla," Scorpius began, softer now. "Adelaide and Elisabeth aren't right for you."

Rage (and a dash of hurt) flickered in Isla's eyes. "How do you know?"

He swallowed, not meeting her eyes. "They just aren't good for you."

"What?" Frustration rose up in the Gryffindor, fingers curling around the seat's frayed seams.

He still wasn't making eye contact. "They aren't."

Something like bile rose in Isla's throat. "What did they say?" He glanced away. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, tell me now."

"Alright!" he started. "It's not just the fact that they obviously are together without you. It's the stuff they say behind your back."

"Yes, but what?"

"A dumb whore, for starters. I was out with Al a couple days ago, in Diagon, and we overheard them at the Leaky Cauldron."

A stab of hurt flashed through her, but not shock. Somehow, she had already known that the bond she had shared with her friends was crumbling to pieces. Isla cast her mind back to the past year - when had they ever given a hint that they were gossiping about her? Had it started when they began to pair up with each other all the time, leaving Isla alone? Or when she had begun to participate less in conversations, leaving the two of them to chatter with each other?

"Oh." Her silence was unexpected, and Scorpius looked at her, as if prompting Isla to say more. "Good for them."

"You don't have anything else to say?" Gray eyes probed into what could have been Isla's soul, if she had one. It was too bad she had lost it the moment she murdered Nicola Avery.

"Nope."

It seemed luck was on Isla's side today (good luck or bad, it was all the same). Albus staggered back in the compartment, his face contorted with anger and frustration. "Bloody Fawcett. He's after Lily, I'm telling you - she's two years younger than us. He's like some sort of bloody cougar."

Isla coughed, thankful for the tension that Albus seemed to have dispelled. "Isn't he your friend, though?"

With a huff, Albus plopped back down, this time next to Isla. With his legs propped up, he twisted to face Isla to answer her question. "Yeah, but that doesn't get rid of the fact that he's a cougar."

"That's for women." Scorpius was still watching Isla closely.

"Whatever. It's still the same thing." Albus balanced his head on his arms, placed behind his head. "Plus, No- Isla, haven't you heard of the saying 'keep your friends close, but enemies closer?'"

Scorpius groaned, sinking his head into his hands. "Why did you have to say that, Al? Why?"

"Am I missing something?" Albus's mouth puckered.

"He's assuming I'm going to go back to my friends in the hopes of getting revenge on them," Isla decided to interject, scoffing at the very thought. "Which is stupid, in my opinion - I have something a little more important on my mind. Namely, Nicola Avery."

Whatever warmth that had entered the compartment froze at her words.

"Back to the murder," Scorpius sighed. "How could we have killed her? We were drunk out of our minds - I know Al while he's drunk, and he just shoots a shitload of sparks. And you, Isla - you couldn't hurt a fly, considering all you do is sit and giggle."

"And Scorp is a sad drunk, he just cries," Albus decided to add, as if Isla didn't already know. (He was her cousin, of course she knew.)

That was why she preferred to stay away from alcohol nine times out of ten. It only led to mistakes and murder. The first time she had drank, she had stripped down to her underwear and put on a clown costume. The second time, she had killed a girl.

The train slowed to a stop, and the compartment had stayed just the three of them, Isla, Scorpius, and Albus. Rumor had most likely spread that the Hogwarts Dragon was out to eat everyone on that area of the train, or at least Isla hoped. It would have been nice to have a legacy of sorts - a dragon was much better than a quidditch team.

"You coming?" Scorpius and Albus had reached the hallway, and Al had stopped by the door.  
Isla nodded. "Yeah, just give me a second." Somehow, she had a feeling that his year was going to be different - especially since it was preceded by a murder. And Isla was going to savor this moment, this last sliver of freedom. Until it was over, and the instant had moved on.

Albus was still waiting. "You do know Slytherins don't have to be chivalrous, right?" she asked with a grin, slipping into the hallway. Scorpius was waiting outside, an impatient look on his face.

"Slytherins have common decency, though - I'm not sure if you Gryffindors do." There was a smile on his face, though.

The crisp autumn air hit Isla like a train. "I missed the outdoors so much." She inhaled deeply.

"It's been eight hours, it's not going to change without you," Scorpius said

"Eight hours is a lot of time." It took eight seconds to kill someone.

Albus had wisely chosen not to get involved in the conversation. "Guys, there's a carriage right here!" A thankful smile quirked on the corner of Isla's lips as she stepped in, Scorpius and then Albus following suit. Her mouth turned downwards the moment she was fully inside, however, at seeing her companions already sitting in the carriage.

"Isla." Rose Weasley nodded curtly at her.

"Rose." Isla mimicked the action.

"Audrey!" Four heads turned to face Audrey Wood. At the inquisitive glances, she shrugged carelessly. "What? I felt left out." Isla let a corner of her mouth lift up at Audrey's antics. She had never hated Audrey - liked her, in fact - and it never hurt to be sweet to one's Quidditch captain. Plus, she never took up much space in the mornings, being out by seven most days.

Rose always stayed until the last minute, taking up all of Isla's time in the bathroom.

"If you think I'm going to say Scorpius, forget it." Albus remarked, shooting a look at Scorpius, who pouted.

Rose made a funny sound at his action, and a smirk curving up, Isla studied Rose a little more carefully. "I knew I wasn't the only one who found your pout creepy! Doesn't he look like a serial killer, Rose?" Isla questioned, plastering a devious grin on her face.

Rose looked taken aback at Isla actually being nice to her, then nodded. "Kind of."

Scorpius's mouth opened slightly. "I'm very pretty, thank you very much." No one quite knew how to respond to that, and the carriage was draped in a cloud of silence. Isla took the opportunity to dwell in her own thoughts, casting her mind back to a week and a day ago. She had been over at Adelaide's - they hadn't done what the trio normally did at their sleepovers. They had just sat and talked, which was even better. But how many of Adelaide's stories mentioned Elisa?

All of them.

There was a hitch of breath at her realization, but thankfully, only Albus turned his head to shoot her a quizzical look. An apologetic smile rested on her lips, and he responded with what could only be considered caution. A foot was tapping on the floor - "Audrey, would you stop?"

Audrey Wood was the type of person not to give two shits about others, even if they were friends. "No thanks." A skip of silence, and she opened her mouth again. Isla internally groaned. "Ready for Quidditch practice, Isla?" Besides Isla, Scorpius and Albus immediately sat up straight, and she smacked Scorpius in the side.

"I'm always ready - please tell me we get the first week of school off." Isla crossed her fingers. There was no doubt that Audrey was a dictator on the Quidditch Pitch, what with her Wood genes and all. The seeker had heard that Oliver Wood was worse - thankfully, she had no plans of playing for Puddlemere United anytime soon.

Audrey grinned wickedly. "Of course Nott." There was a blatant capitalization to the last word - how you could hear capital letters, Isla couldn't fathom - and a forced laugh passed through her lips. Running extra laps because she hadn't laughed at the captain's joke wasn't in her agenda anytime soon (Roxanne had rued the day she told Audrey her knock knock joke wasn't good - there wasn't even a knock in it.)

Glancing between Audrey and Isla after their exchange of words, Scorpius decided to speak up. "You never laugh when I say that!"

"That's because you're an idiot and we're not friends." Isla nudged him playfully. "We're cousins and friends."

If Scorpius Malfoy had been a more cheerful, energetic, and all around brighter person, he might have laughed at her comment. Instead, Isla was stuck with an idiot staring at her blankly, no hint of amusement or anything in his eyes. She sighed. "Forget it."

Before Scorpius could say 'already forgotten!' - to which she'd have to slap him - the carriage rumbled to a stop. It was in half of a rush that Isla clambered out (she had to beat Rose, at least), eyes drawn to Hogwarts. The castle looked the same as it always had, eternally a stone fortress. Isla held a point of view that not many others seemed to hold - during the school year, day after day after day, they were held in the castle. Even secrets got boring if you were stuck with them.

Scorpius and Albus were soon out - how polite they were, waiting for Rose and Audrey - and the five began to wander inside the castle. "When did I agree to walking with Rose?" Isla hissed under her breath, inconspicuously leaning her head towards Scorpius.

"The same time she agreed to walk with you," he muttered.

The gates of Hogwarts loomed above them. Isla had never liked them - they were much too good at doing their job. High and soaring, it could only be described in one word: pretty. Isla didn't like pretty. If she had liked pretty, she would have been attracted to James Potter (who really wasn't pretty - in Isla's opinion, the whole family was just normal. It was the fame that glorified their looks).

Before they could enter, however, a shadowy figure stepped into the light. Once they had walked towards the group, however, it was clearly visible that no, it wasn't a murderer about to chop off their heads Audrey, but Teddy Lupin, Nicola's Head Boy. "Teddy?" Albus clearly had no idea about his 'cousin's' visit.

"Hey, Teddy!" Scorpius apparently had no idea that his cousin was haunting the gates of Hogwarts as well. Isla let her lips curve up, but didn't say anything - Scorpius may have been related to him, but she wasn't (technically, she wasn't related to any of them, but that was besides the point).

His face remained grim. "Scorpius. We've been looking for you."

Scorpius squinted his eyes slightly. "Why?"

It was then that the bushes around them rustled - what was going on? - and out walked more adults. It was then that Isla noticed what they were wearing. She squeezed Scorpius's arm tighter. Albus moved a hair of a breadth closer to his friend. Audrey and Rose remained where they were, obviously confused.

It seemed as if Teddy was fighting himself to say what came out of his mouth next. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law…"

Scorpius was being arrested.

 **a/n: we're going to pretend that the miranda rights don't only exist in america because of lazy writing lmfao**


End file.
